Warfighters are one step closer to a weapon that will help them neutralize maneuvering targets since the Navy’s Direct Attack Moving Target Capability program achieved Milestone C Feb. 1.

Rear Adm. William Shannon, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons at Patuxent River, Md., approved DAMTC’s milestone, which authorizes Production Acceptance Testing and Evaluation to confirm the industry’s product meets Navy performance requirements. The Navy subsequently awarded the $110 million contract to The Boeing Company Feb.9.

A modification to the Joint Direct Attack Munition, DAMTC provides a dual-mode (GPS and laser) guidance capability.

“The DAMTC material solution meets a critical warfighter capability gap to prosecute moving and maneuvering targets,” said Capt. Carl Chebi, Precision Strike Weapons (PMA-201) Program Manager. “Integrating DAMTC into the proven JDAM reduces overall life cycle cost and timeline required to deliver the capability to the Fleet.”

Integrated testing will be conducted at the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, Calif. Contractor personnel, working with government test team from NAWCWD, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31, and VX-9, will test concurrently with the operational test team, streamlining the testing process on DAMTC.

“The goal is to deliver the warfighter a more efficient precision strike weapon. DAMTC brings a flexible, dual-mode weapon to a larger warfighting community,” said Mark Lakner, PMA-201 Integrated Product Team Lead for Precision Guided Munitions. “We need a weapon capable of engaging time-sensitive targets of opportunity. This weapon will have an advantage of targeting flexibility to prosecute stationary or moving maneuvering targets without configuration change on the aircraft platform.”

The DAMTC capability provides tactical flexibility for use on all F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet and AV-8B aircraft. Since the Navy already utilizes the JDAM infrastructure, the DAMTC modification kit will require minimal logistical adjustments, saving time, money and manpower.

The next milestone is expected fall 2010, when the Navy requests permission to procure approximately 700 units to facilitate operational testing before entering full rate production. Initial operating capability is scheduled for winter 2012.

PMA-201 is responsible for the research, development, acquisition and sustainment of the fleet's air-to-ground precision guided weapons, general-purpose bombs and aircraft armament-related equipment.